Sigma Tau Delta "Professor Talks" Discussion Series

Everyone is invited to attend Dr. Vincent Bohlinger's talk on Wednesday, November 18th from 7:00-9:00pm in CL-265. Dr. Bohlinger's areas of specialization are: Russian and Soviet Cinema, East Asian Cinema, Documentary Film, and Film Study and Analysis. It's sure to be an interesting and informative presentation.

Stop by, and take this opportunity to get to know one of the English department's newer faculty members.

Light refreshments will be served.

We hope to see you there!

Coming soon to a chapter near you ....

I'm looking forward very keenly to the meeting on the 14th of October, and the chance to connect with everyone, making good a Scroogian pledge to live in the "past, the present, and the future."

I'm open to questions/discussions about any aspect of my teaching, writing, and other nefarious activities, including Arctic exploration, Hip-hop music, Victorian history and culture, early film history, media studies, and Chaucer -- along with the whys, wherefores, and whereabouts of my variegated academic career. In the photo above, you see an artist's depiction of one of my more acute bouts of "Polar Fever" (well, actually you see the "North Pole Giant" from Georges Méliès's 1914 film, "The Conquest of the Pole"). Hope to see everyone there!

Scrabble© Night
"Words are your playthings"

	Tuesday, September 8, 2009
	7:00pm - 9:00pm
	Craig-Lee 265

Snack contributions welcome.
-Scrabble is found in one of three American homes
-Scrabble was released for the first time in 1948
-There are 225 squares on a scrabble board

Banned Book Readout
Monday, September 28, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Craig-Lee


Banned Books Week 2009 is the twenty-eighth annual celebration of the freedom
to read.

Come celebrate the freedom to read with Sigma Tau Delta.
-Bring your favorite banned book
-Dress as your favorite banned book character
-Prepare a banned book dish to share
-Prepare a passage to read from a banned or challenged book
-Readings will be scored on categories such as "worthiness to be banned," ridiculousness factor," and "reading performance"
-Winners will choose from a selection of famously banned books

Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to choose and the
freedom to express one’s opinion, even if that opinion might be
considered unpopular or unorthodox. The campaign stresses the
importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all
who wish to read them.

Fall Events

We are all looking forward to another great year! All students, faculty, alumni, and friends are welcome to attend our events. We'd love to see you there!


We'll kick off our events this semester with an evening of Scrabble on Tuesday, September 8th from 7-9pm in CL-265. (NEW DATE) There will be multiple boards and light refreshments. The format will be set by those who attend-- either one on one or team play. Come recharge your word-hoard, and get ready for the semester ahead by playing or watching others play. All are welcome to attend! If it's well-attended, we'll make it a regular event.

On Monday, September 28th from 7-9pm in CL-255 there will be a Banned Books Event, to coincide with Banned Books Week, with attendees offering readings of select passages from books that have at one point been banned. More details to follow. (Kristen Ivy Moses will be chairing this event. Please contact her if you are interested in assisting before, during, or after the event.) All are welcome to attend!

Our popular discussion series will return in October. This semester's "Professor Talks" will be on Wednesday, October 14th from 7-9pm in CL-265 with guest speaker Dr. Russell Potter and Wednesday, November 18th from 7-9pm in CL-265 with guest speaker Dr. Vincent Bohlinger. All are welcome to attend! Check back soon for special guest blog posts. (Contact Denise Leathers for information about the "Professor Talks" discussion series.)

About the discussion series: The talks generally lean more towards the personal/professional, rather than the scholarly. They're about providing a space where a member of the faculty comes in as an individual-- a highly trained and respected individual-- who shares stories about what things like scholarly work and being an English professor mean to him/her. These discussions have been a great way for students and alumni to get to know members of the faculty (and I might add, it's a great way for faculty to get to know students and alumni!) in a relaxed setting where paper assignments, grades, and the everyday pressures of the classroom do not exist. Since the very first "Professor Talk" by Dr. J. Zornado, the series has been quite a success. The talks are always interesting, informative, and fun. If you haven't been to one, you should definitely plan on attending one this fall!

Literary Journal Submissions Wanted!

Mind Murals, the Eastern Region's Literary Journal, is looking for creative and scholarly works of all kinds. All submissions must be in by September 30th. Check out their newsletter at http://www.english.org/sigmatd/pdf/regions/east.pdf for more information.

7/13 Meeting and Possible Fall Events & Projects

Our first meeting of the 09'-10' academic year will be held on Monday, July 13th from 11am-12:30pm in the 3rd flr conference rm in Craig-Lee.

Congratulations and welcome, new members! If you didn't get the chance to meet your fellow members last semester, please consider attending the meeting on July 13th. We'll be planning Fall events, and we'd like your input. Additionally, consider becoming a "Follower" of this blog (by clicking on the Follow button on the left side of the screen and entering your email info) and/or adding it to your RSS feed to keep informed about chapter projects/events.

Friends and Faculty- We are all grateful for your support over the past year and a half! We look forward to seeing you at our events this year! Consider becoming a "Follower" of this blog and/or adding it to your RSS feed.


Here are some of the possible projects and events under consideration for the Fall semester:


Banned Book Week (September 26th- October 3rd)- Staged reading of a banned book, possibly in conjunction with a short intro on censorship by a student or member of the Faculty. Help us decide which book(s) to read. We are looking for a book or select passages from books that can be read within a two-three hour time frame (for an evening event) or within a one-two hour time frame (for a Wednesday afternoon event.) (FYI: Ulysses, which seems to be everyone's favorite banned book, requires at least 6 hours.) Let us know if you're interested in giving a short talk on censorship.

http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/reasonsbanned.cfm


National Day of Writing (October 29th)- It would be great if we could mark this year's National Day of Writing by taking part in a community service project. The scale of the project could be small or large. We'll be discussing ideas on July 13th.


Professor Talks- Last year's "Professor Talks" monthly discussion series was a great success. We will continue the series this year. "Professor Talks" is about providing a space where a member of the faculty comes in as an individual-- a highly trained individual-- who shares stories about what things like scholarly work and being an English professor mean to her/him. The talks are very informal. They are always interesting, informative, and fun. If you haven't been to one, you should definitely plan on it. Highly recommended!


Scrabble Night- There will be multiple boards, light refreshments, and, perhaps, some prizes. Your only task will be to choose your words.


There will be many opportunites for members who are interested in chairing or co-chairing an event or project. Let us know if you have any event or project ideas.

Thanks for reading. We'll update after July 13th.

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